The Initial Conversation

Tell us what you want

At Cedarberg, we put a lot of time and effort into finding out lots about you and your hopes and dreams for your safari trip. This is what results in rewarding experiences and great feedback. But it does mean that the process of planning a tailor-made safari takes a little longer.

We recommend calling us. We have offices in South Africa and the UK and a local call number for the USA. (You only pay for the local call – we will pay for the international cost.) If you live elsewhere, call or email us.

We like to ring you back. We can schedule a video call (now that we all know how to do that), so that we can both block off some time to chat for as long as needed.

Lots of Questions

So we ask a lot of questions about what you are hoping to see, any specific wildlife or birding interests, how adventurous you are, whether you want a luxurious experience or more authentic charm.

Other things we’d love to know:

• Where you’d like to go
• How you’d like to travel around (LINK to MODE OF TRAVEL)
• Whether you have strong feeling on type of safari accommodation (LINK) or standard of hotel accommodation (LINK TO CEDARBERF RATINGS
• How much you’d like to spend – please read our Note on Prices (LINK)
• What makes you happy?
• What annoys you or anything that you want to avoid?
• What you’d be unhappy not to experience?
• What were some of your best trips and why?

Then we’ll debate the pros and cons of various options.

Obviously, it’s great if you know where you want to go, where you want to stay and what you want to do. But if you don’t know the destination well, then that’s not always possible.

A successful safari in Africa is a happy marriage between your personality and the destination. A wilderness experience may knock the socks off one person. But may be viewed as a series of inconveniences by another.

A note on Safari Style

Safari camps vary dramatically in ambience and style. South Africa and Botswana have some of the finest game lodges in the world, complete with luxurious furnishings, superb cuisine, wine cellars, private plunge pools and a price tag to match.

By contrast, intimate and comfortable safari camps are on offer further north, and also in South Africa. Our lodges and camps are chosen for their character, setting and superb guiding and tend to be smaller in size. Something different altogether is a mobile tented safari, where the attention to detail is sublime! This is offered either on a scheduled basis or for a small group of friends or family.